Automatic paper-feed.



H. C. GAMMETER. AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED.

APPLICATION rum) JAN. 13. 1910.

1,051,726. Patented Jan.28, 1913.

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AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13. 1910 1,051,726. Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

4 BHEBTSBHEET 2.

H. c. GA'MMET'ER.

AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED.

APPLIOLTIOK FILED JAN. 13. 1910.

1 ,O51,726. Patented Jan 28, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

p u r v H. C. GAMMBTER.

AUTOMAHG PAPER FEED.

APPLICATION IILED JAH.13, 1910. 1,051,726. Patented m 2a, 1913 4 BHEBTHEBBT 4.

the feeding mechanism. Fig. 3

' UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'- HARRY c. GAMMETER, or BRATENAHL, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN mn- GRAPH/COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, 01110, A conrom'rron or onto.

AUTOMATIC PAPER-FEED.

Patented Jan. 28,1913.

Application filed January 13, 1910. Serial No. 537,798.

'To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, HARRY C. GAMMETER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bratenahl, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Paper-Feeds, of 'which the following is a full, clear, and exact descripti'on, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide an etlicientautomatic paper feeding de-- vice. .My paper feed may be used with va: rious machines, as for example, a rotary duplicating machine.

A The invention is in the nature of an improvement on the feeding device shown, described and claimed in my application, No. 529,495 filed Nov. 22nd, 1909, as a division of application 454,266. In those applications, the paper stands in a vertical block and is fed upwardly against a suitable sepa-- rator which retards all but the foremost .sheet. In the present invention, I feed from p the bottom of the vertical block of paper,

and thereby obtainthe advantage of having the paper automatically maintain itself by gravity in feeding position, enabling the machine to operate without adjustment on various lengths of sheets.

Other features of the inventionflrelate to the adjustments for insuring the proper feeding and separating of the paper irrespectiye of varying weight, thickness, stiffness, or .moisture of the paper:

The present invention provides also improved means for pressing the block of paper toward-the feeding roll.

The invention consists essentially of the combinations of parts which I employin carrying out the above features as herelnafter more fully explained and as definitely summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an'end elevation of my paper feeding mechanism, and a rotary duplicating machine to which it is attached. Fig.2 is a front elevation of is a detail,

showing the driving rack and-pinion, being in a plane parallel with Fig. 1 and looking in the opposite direction. Fig. 4 is a vertical'central section of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of theright hand portion of such mechanism. Fig. 6 is a; portion of axial section of the feeding r'oller'. Fig. 7 is an end View of such roller.

crank 15. mechanism is driven by the same rotating vide a plate Figs.,8 and 9am views illustrating the-adustment of the supporting plate. Fig. 10 is a detail.

Fig. 1 shows the end plate 10 of a rotary duplicating machine of the type known as .the multigraph; it being understood that beyond this plate is a rotary printing member cooperating with a parallel rotary platen, these two members, being mounted on the shafts 11 and 12 respectivelyand 'gearedtogether by the gears 13 and 14.

I Any suitable meansmay be employed for.

rotating the couple, as, for example,'- the As shown, the paper feeding means through the gear 16, meshing with the platen gear'14 and carrying a pinion 17 which meshes with a gear 18 on the shaft of which is a crank 19 driving a link 20 which operates the feed roller. It is to be understood that other means may be employed for reciprocating the link, means shown in Fig. 1 being simply illustrative.

The frame of the paper feedingjmechw Y nism comprises a pair of standardsflli and 22 which. are shown as secured to'the base plate 9 of the printing machine, and suit.- .able cross rods 23 and 25, connecting the standards. The rods 23 and 25 carry a pair of plates 30, each plate having 'a wing 31 pro ecting forwardly at right angles 'to pro-- back and side guides for a vertical block of paper standing on the base plate 32. 30 are slidable in and out and. ,are clamped to the rod 23 in adjusted position by suitable set screws 33.

The plates Below the back plates 30 and toward the rear thereof is the shaft 35011 which is journaled the feeding roller 36. This roller as shown consists of a fluted sleeve of softrubber mounted on a metal shell 37' which has end plates 38 journaled on the shaft,

as shown more particularly in Fig. 6. The

pair of pawls 40 which are pressed by springs 41 against a ratchet wheel 42, rigid on the shaft 35. On this shaft is a pinion 44 engaged by teeth 45 on the link 20 here- 1. direction is idle, and in the other direction 38 at the right hand end'carries a rotates the feeding roller 36. The parts are so proportioned that the link makes a completereciprocation for eachrotation of the printing drum,.and; the periodic movement thus given to the feeding roller36 is at the proper time, with reference to the type form on the drum, so that the-paper will be properly fed by the feedroller to the printing couple. The crank .19 is adjustable on its shaft (being locked by the set screw 48) and this enables the timing of the feed roller to be regulated as desired.

As has been stated, the paper to be fed stands in a vertical block on the base plate '32 and against the back plates 30 and between the side wings 31. The paper is given aneven pressure against the plates 30 by the spring pressed rods 50 and 51 which bear against a suitable backing (of pasteboard, for example) on the outer side of the block of :paper. These two rods are mount- Jed 'in'the ends of two pairs of arms 53 and 54, the arms of each pair crossing each other lntermediately and being pivoted together at 55. The upper ends of the arms 54 are pivoted to the standards at 57, while the lower ends of the arms 53 are slotted, as shown at 58, and take around pins 59 on the standards. Suitable tension springs 60, engaging the two arms tend to draw them together, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noticed thatthe rod 50 stands a little farther away from the back' plates than the rod 51, and that the follower frame comprising the rods and 51 and the levers 53 and 54 is drawn outwardly this difference increases, owing to the lower armof the ,lever53 being shorter than the other arms of thelevers 53. and54. This concentrates the feeding pressure of the follower frame fat the lower rod, which is opposite the feedingroller, while the upper rod holds the 'paper vertical without binding it, leaving it v freeto be fed by the roller.

To insert the block of paper, the upper rod 50 is simply grasped by the operators fingers and pulled outwardly, which moves outwardly the lower; rod 51. In the extreme outward position;-. the rods an offset 62 .of the slot 58, com; g against the pin 59, holds the parts in this position against accidental displacement. Now the block of paper is put in place from the top at. the

, rear of therods 50 and 51' 'to rest on the plate 32.;1'Then a suflicient pressure releases the slots 62 from the pins 59 and the spring .60 draws the rods 50 and 51 againstthe back of the block of paper whereby it is given a continuous pressure against the plates 30. This pressure may be regulated y changing the position of the springs 60,

which are provided with hooked ends-occu- "g' any of the series of notches 63 on the arms 53 and 54.

With '.the paper standing on -the plate 32 and pressed against the feed roll 36 by the spring follower frame, composed of the rods 1 and arms mentioned, it will be seen that a left hand rotationof the feed roller will feed the foremost sheet downwardly, and this sheet will press into the rearwardly extending space between the underside of the feed roller and the plate 32, and thence passes horizontally to the printing couple. Now'to enable the feed roller, on the one hand, to grasp stiff and smooth sheets with sufficient force to feed them, and, on the other hand, to act lightly enough on fiexishaft 35. At its mid portion the yoke 71 carries a set screw 72,, which operatesthrough a slot in the arcual keeper bar .74. Near its inner end the plate 32 projects'beneath the feed roller and at its extreme end is provided with an upwardly extending curve 75; near its rear end the plate 32 rests on a rocking frame shown as composed of a rod 76 and supporting rock arms 77 on a rock shaft 78 journaled in the standards 21 and 22. This rock shaftis provided with a knurled head 7 9 by which it may be turned and it is locked in desired position by a set screw 80. A suitable supporting plate 82 'is provided for directing the separated sheets of paper, this plate extending from a position below the inner end of -the plate 32 toward the printing mechanism, or other mechanism, which is to receive the fed sheet.

"hen the feed roller is rotated in the left hand direction, the sheet of paper which it engages, and very likely two or three other sheets, are fed downwardly and forwardly, and these sheets engage the curve 7:5. This curve introduces suflicient resistance to the movement of the paper that all the sheets except the foremost one are stopped thereby, but the resisting force is not as great as the feeding force of the soft rubber roller on the foremost sheet, so that this sheet instead of being stopped by the curve buckles over at its forward edgea-nd passes over' the top of the curve and onto the plate 82. Now

it will be seen that by swinging the yoke'7l the curve is carried forwardly (toward the printing mechanism) or rearwardly, and the farther forward it is the more-space is provided for the sheet to curve around the roller. The swinging of the yoke away Ill) from the printing mechanism reduces the space for curving the sheet being fed and moreover may swing the supporting plate 32 nearer to a horizontal position. The steeper the incline of the supporting plate,

the more active is the feeding action caused by gravity. The result is, that. with stiff paper, requiring considerable space to allow its edge to be bent, the yoke is swung toward the printing mechanism. This may also give a greater incline to the supporting plate 32-, whereby the feeding action is increased. On the other hand with light paper the yoke is swung away from the printing mechanism reducing the space, thus iving less chance for the feeding of more, t an one sheet. Frequently the only adjustment necessary for various grades of paper is the shifting of the yoke 71. The normal pitch however of the plate 32 may be changed by elevating or lowering the rod 76, and this, together with the adjustment of the spring follower frame, provides effective means for varying the feeding action and compensating for peculiarities in thepaper.

The adjustments of the supporting and separating plate are illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the former of which shows the plate in a position, for example, with light thin paper and the latter for use with heavy or stifl' paper. The block of paper in these figures is indicated by X and the foremost sheet a by. m, and the difference in the curve of this foremost sheet and the space allowed for it, is illustrated in the two figures. The incline of v the supporting plate is considerably steeper in Fig. 9, both by reason of its piv- I otal support being lower, and its outer support, by the rod 76, being higher.

One curve will operate satisfactorily for a considerable range of variation in the paper, but for great variations, it may be desirable to have interchangeable plates with curves of different radii. This is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the radius of the curve 75 in Fig. 8 being much shorter than the corresponding radius 75 in Fig. 9.

To allow the convenient interchange of plates .32, I provide them .with suitable latches by which they are removably carried by the yoke 71. These latches are 'illustrated in Fig. 10 and comprise the ears 70, referred to, and pivoted arms 8-1 mounted thereon, the ear having an upwardly extending notch and the arm a corresponding downwardly extending notch so that the two may cooperate to embrace the pin projecting fro-m the yoke. The friction between the arm 84 and the car 70 normally holds these parts in place. The axis of the pins 85 is in line with the edge of the curve 7 5, so that the adjustment of the plate about the roller does not change the distance between the roller and the edge of the plate.

It will be seen from the description above given that the necessai'y adjustments are few. The crank 19 is set by trial according to the position of the type-form on the drum and the amount of letter-head printing, or a blank space desired, on the sheet. The side plates 31 are adjusted accordingly to the width of the sheets. The springs (30, the in cline of the plate 32, and the position of its curved edge are mutually adjusted according to the peculiarities of the paper, it being remembered that the harder it is for the feed roller to advance the sheets (whether due to their smoothness, their stiffness or otherwise) the less should the.

paper be held back by the retarding curve and the angle through which the paper must bend, while the spring followersframe should press the block against the roll with increased pressure. On the other hand, with light and easily fed sheets, the contrary adjustment is the rule.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination of a feeding roller, an upright plate to which it is substantially tangent, a plate for supporting in a plane the bottom edge of an upright block of paper, and means for pressing the paper against the upright plate and roller, the supporting plate continuing beneath the roller and being provided behind the plane of the upright plate with a sharp curve for retarding the forward edge of the fed sheets.

2. In a paper feeding mechanism the combination of a rotatable roller having a soft peripheral surface, an upright plate to which the roller is tangent, a plate for supporting at the bottom an upright block of paper with tl e roller in contact with such block adjacent to the bottom thereof, said supporting plate being a plane where it supports the block of paper and merging into an upwardly extending curve beneath the roller and behind the planeof the upright plate, and a spring pressure device on the opposite side of the-block of paper pressing it against the upright plate and roller.

3. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination, of a member having an nclined upper plane surface and arranged to engage the bottom edge of an upright block of paper and to support such paper, an upright plate against which the paper stands, and a feed roller on that side of the paper toward which such surface inclines downwardly, the front of said feed roller being substantially tangent to the face of the plate, the said member continuing beneath the roller and there-merging with an upwardly extending curve which is behindthe plane of the plate and having its angle a justable independently of the roller.

I. In a aper feeding mechanism. the

combination of a member having an inclined upper surface and arranged to engage the bottom edge of a block of paper and to support such paper, a feed roller on that side of the paper toward which such surface inclines downwardly, the said surface continuing toward the roller beyond the plane'of the paper engaging it, and merging into a curved retarding edge located behind said plane, means for adjusting the member independently of the roller, and a spring pressed follower on the opposite side of the paper from such roller.

' 5. In a-. paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotatable feed roller, of a plate extending at an angle across the end of a block of paper and extending transversely of the feed roller, there being a curve adjacent to the extreme end of said plate and adjacent to the feed roller, and means for adjusting the said angle and means for independently adjusting the position of the curve about the feed roller.

6. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotatable feed roller, of a plate adapted to extend across the lower end of. a block of paper and support the same, said plate extending transversely of the feed roller and merging into an abrupt upwardly extending'curve at the extreme end of said plate and beneath the feed roller, and means for adjusting the plate both as to its angle and bodily.

7. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotatable feed roller, a member adapted to move about the axis ofthe rollers, and a stop-plate for the paper having a retarding device and connected with said member whereby the position of such device may be adjusted.

8. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotatable feed roller, a member adapted to move about the axis of the roller, and a stop-plate for the paper having a retarding curve and connected with said member, whereby the position of such curve may be adjusted with reference to the roller.

9. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination of a rotatable feed roller, a

yoke mounted to swing about the feed roller,

and a movable paper support and retarding device mounted to swing with said yoke.

10. In a paperfeeding mechanism, the

combination with means for holding paper, of a rotatable feeding roller, a yoke mounted to swing about the axis of the roller, a clamp forholding the yoke in various adjusted positions, and a stop-plate having a retarding edge carried by said yoke.

11. The combination, with a paper-feeding roller, of a" support for the paper continuing beneath the roller and there having a retarding edge, and means for adjusting the position of such edge toward or from tially preserving its presentation to the roller.

13. The combination, with a feeding roller, of a yoke journaled coaxially, a slotted arcual keeper for the yoke extending transversely of it, a set screw passing through the slot clamping the keeper and yoke, and a supporting plate for the paper, the forward end of which is carried by said yoke beneath the roller.

14. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a feeding roller, an inclined support-ing plate for a block of paper, said plate extending beneath the roller, and means for swinging the forward edge of the plate about the axis of'the roller and thereby simultaneously changing both the distance of the edge from the block of paper and the incline of the support for the paper.

15. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a feeding roller, an inclined support for a block of paper, said support extending beneath the roller and carrying beneath the roller a retarding edge and means for swinging the forward edge of the support aboutthe roller and thereby simultaneously changing both the distance of the edge from the block of paper and the incline of the support for the paper, and means for adjusting the incline independently of the position of the forward ed e. I6. In a paper-feeding mechanism, thecombinationof a roller, a plate pivoted beneath the same and-adapted to support a block of paper acted on by the roller, and

a pivotally mounted rocking frame engaging the underside of the plate independently of the pivot of the plate for supporting said plate at various'angles.

17 In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a feed roller, of a sup porting plate for a block of paper, means for carrying said plate near one end beneath the roller, a pair of rock-arms, a rod carried thereby for supporting the plate near its outer end, said rod freely engaging the plate and slidable along its under side,

and means for clamping said outer-end supportin various ositions.

18. In a paperceding mechanism, the combination, with a feed roller, of a back stop against which a block of paper may bear, twopairs of crossing arms and two rods connecting the arms of the two pairs,

respectively, said rods being adapted to bear against the other side of such block of paper, and a spring tending to move said rods toward the back-stop.

19. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination with a back-stop against which a block of paper may bear, of two pairs of arms, the arms of each pair crossing each other and being pivoted together at the crossing, a tension spring for each pair of arms acting on both arms of the air, and means connecting the two pairs an adapted to bear against the other side of such block of paper.

20. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination of a feedingroller, of a follower frame having .two pairs of crossing mutually pivoted arms, a spring on each pair ofrarms engaging both arms of the pair and tending to draw them together, the arms being provided with a series of notches at varying distances from the pivot in which notches the spring is adapted to be anchored.

21. In a paper-feeding mechanism a t'ollower frame having two pairs of mutually crossing and pivoted arms, and means connecting the pairs, one arm of each pair having a pivotal support and a sliding guide for the other arm of each pair, the arm which. has the sliding guide, being provided with means for holding the arm in extreme position.

22. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination, with a feed roller, of a backstop, a spring actuated follower frame adapted to press the paper against the sto at two separated points, one of which is 24. n a paper-feeding mechanism, thecombination of a rotatable 'feed roller, an inclined supporting plate for the bottom of an upri ht block of paper in front of the feed rol ler the supporting plate having a retarding edge beneath the feed roller, a follower on the Opposite side of the block of paper from the feed roller, and means for adjusting the pressure of the follower and the incline of the supporting plate and the position of the retarding edge.

25. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination, with a, feed roller, of a supporting plate having a curved retarding edge, and a latch for removably' and pivotally holding said plate near its curved edge.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY C. GAMMETER Witnesses:

ALBERT H. BATEs, BRENNAN B; WEST. 

